


Shelter

by MissMorphine



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Dynamics, I don't actually know what constitutes a slow burn, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Slow Burn, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6289822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMorphine/pseuds/MissMorphine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the race for valedictorian, Takumi has always been in second to Leo. If it wasn't bad enough being second to that blonde jerk, Takumi's been partnered with Leo for a project in AP History -- except maybe Leo isn't actually all that bad and maybe Takumi could actually see becoming friends with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was supposed to be a short fic based on the idea of Garon being an abusive father...but then I got further into playing the game and I fell in love with Takumi, so this became a slice of life monster of a story that chronicles Takumi's life during the time of his burgeoning friendship and then relationship with Leo.
> 
> 3/19 I've spent the better half of the last week and a half working on this monster, and I'm honestly too tired to read through it for editing. I'll probably go through it in the next day or so to look for mistakes/typos.
> 
> 4/30 Roughly 1000 words to go until the edited version is finished. Then all that's left is proofreading, and the new version will be up!
> 
> 5/5 EDITS ARE FINALLY DONE! After adding about 10K more words, I've decided to break this up into a chapter fic for a few reasons. 1. I constantly get annoyed with my phone browser for reloading long fics and I have to search for where I was, so chapters are easier to find. 2. I've always wanted to say that I've completed a chapter fic. It's literally been a life goal for me. 3. I really just wanted to do it Fire Emblem style and have all the Takumi-Hinata-Oboro segments by titled as paralogues. That's like...50% of my reason right there. The other two reasons are the other 50%.

There was something insufferable about the way Leo didn’t even need to try to be at the top of their class. Takumi couldn’t stand it. For years, he had been at Leo’s heels but never able to catch him, just a few tenths of a point away from that arrogant blonde prick.

When he compared their behavior in class, it seemed almost unfair that Leo was constantly ahead of him. Takumi always chose to sit in the front and took notes dutifully; his notebooks could probably be considered works of art. Leo, on the other hand, barely stayed awake through their classes and came in with his clothes inside out half the time. It was his natural genius that made teachers love him and Takumi hate him.

The gods, however, seemed to love to make Takumi suffer. When Yukimura came into the classroom, Takumi had expected another one of his history lectures that hadn’t changed since Ryoma was in high school. He wasn’t expecting Yukimura to announce that the class would be working in pairs on a research project about the Ylisse-Plegia war.

Like most AP classes, AP History was a small class -- which meant that the odds of getting Leo as a project partner were far higher than Takumi would have liked. He hated group projects on principle; he didn’t like relying on others, and he definitely didn’t like the possibility of other people dragging his performance down.

_Pair me with Oboro, gods please, pair me with Oboro…_

Yukimura hooked his laptop into the projector, and the front of the classroom was lit up with the image of Yukimura’s screen. All of the students’ names were typed into a randomizer, and Takumi held his breath as the teacher hit submit.

_You have got to be kidding me._

Takumi’s prayers were ignored by the gods as he looked up at the display in utter dismay. The gods had to be laughing at his expense; they must have enjoyed his misery because fate had placed him with Leo. Arrogant, holier-than-thou Leo was his project partner.

Desks and chairs screeched as they scraped across the floor as students moved into their assigned pairs. Takumi sat obstinately at his chair; Leo would have to come to him. It was petty, but it made him feel slightly better. The sound of a notebook dropping on the hard wood of a desk alerted Takumi to Leo’s presence; the blonde was sitting in the chair next to Takumi and tapping his fingers impatiently.

“I wish to be frank about my expectations for this project,” Leo began primly, “I do not want my grades to be marred by any inadequacies on your part. I do not enjoy cooperative projects, but I cannot afford to let my performance suffer out of personal preference. I suggest we work closely to ensure that all parts of the project are up to standard. I do not trust work that is done without my supervision.” Takumi could feel a headache coming on. He was tempted to stay behind after class to tell Yukimura that Leo was going to be impossible to work with, but Yukimura was not a man who could be easily persuaded. Besides, he didn’t want to be known as being high-maintenance. Instead, Takumi snatched the project instructions off his desk and read them quietly to avoid responding to Leo for as long as possible.

“Fine,” Takumi gritted out. He was going to have a hard time resisting the urge to wipe the smug smirk off Leo’s face. “Just try to keep up with me. I’m taking Ylisse; you can have Plegia. Agreed?” Leo raised a delicate eyebrow, looking borderline offended, before acquiescing.

“Will you be able to meet at the town library? We’ll need to begin our research immediately to ensure that no one else takes the books we will need.” Leo’s expression was almost daring Takumi to say no. Takumi knew that Leo would get started without him and probably tell his kind of creepy friends about how Takumi was completely useless as a project partner.

“That’s fine with me,” Takumi snapped. The desire to prove that he was just as good -- no, that he was better than Leo -- was burning inside him. As they began to delegate responsibilities, Takumi nearly snapped his pencil in half because of Leo’s condescending attitude.

The final bell rang, and Takumi had never been more grateful for the end of the school day. Leo left to gather his belongings and told Takumi to wait at his locker. As Takumi shoved books into his backpack, he grumbled to himself about how Leo was already treating him more like a servant than an equal.

“Talking to yourself isn’t good for your reputation,” quipped Leo. Takumi flushed in embarrassment and looked up to glare at the blonde.

“Neither is wearing your shirt inside out,” Takumi shot back. He felt a smug sense of satisfaction as Leo looked down and flushed upon seeing the inside seams of his clothing. Leo tugged his jacket on angrily and motioned for Takumi to follow him.

Neither of the boys drove to school. Takumi would always bum a ride off Corrin, and he wasn’t entirely sure why Leo walked to school. He probably had some pretentious reason for it.

Once they got to the library and began collecting materials, Leo pulled about six books out for both of them to check out respectively. Takumi stared at the heavy pile of books in his hands with a twinge of guilt.

“Why do we need to take out so many books?” asked Takumi. “Shouldn’t we at least leave something for our classmates?”

“You worry far too much about others. That way of thinking is why _I’m_ valedictorian,” Leo replied. Takumi seethed. The _and you’re not_ was painfully present in the space between them. “When you’re done with the books or if you find that it isn’t particularly useful, you can return it.” Takumi continued to glower but said nothing more. The tension between them was so thick that the librarian didn’t even attempt to make small talk as she checked out their books.

Upon sitting down at one of the tables, Takumi had begun taking notes on the books he had taken out -- but if he was being honest, he wasn’t taking great notes. Leo’s presence was too distracting; every time he looked in one of the books, he swore that he could feel Leo’s eyes on him. He had yet to catch Leo even looking at him, but that didn’t do anything to lessen the feeling of awkwardness Takumi felt.

“Shit,” Leo cursed quietly. Takumi looked up from the book to see Leo staring at his phone. The blonde immediately pocketed his phone and began to gather everything he was using into his backpack. “I need to leave, now. We’ll continue this tomorrow.” Before Takumi could say anything, Leo had rushed outside and was quickly out of sight. Rather than dwell on Leo’s strange behavior, Takumi went back to his books to gather enough information to be able to return at least one of them.


	2. Paralogue 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi gets a break from Leo's demands, Niles is a creep, and Takumi's friends put up with way too much.

The rest of the week progressed in much of the same way; Leo would casually belittle Takumi, and Takumi would attempt to control himself from lashing out -- he was mostly successful at that. The only silver lining Takumi had was that Leo produced quality work. Leo had deemed that they had done enough work by Friday to let them off the hook for a day.

With his Saturday free from Leo and his impossible demands, Takumi took to the archery range. Bow in hand, he walked out past the beginners who were struggling to hold a bow and into the quiet area reserved for experienced archers.

Arrow nocked and eyes on the target, Takumi let the arrow fly. The arrow sunk into the black ring, second from the outside. The grey haired boy shook his head, frustrated. He hadn’t hit an arrow so far off the mark in years, but he knew what the problem was.

Leo.

Takumi hated to admit it, but he was starting to enjoy spending time with Leo. They had more in common than Takumi would have thought. Leo’s copy of _The Stranger_ was just as worn as Takumi’s copy of _Atlas Shrugged_. They had agreed to trade books, and Takumi was enjoying the annotations Leo had written in the margins. His handwriting was small and neat, with just a bit too much pressure.

Nocking another arrow, Takumi pulled back and released; this time, he hit the yellow circle dead in the center. He smiled to himself and pulled out another arrow to repeat the process. He let his mind empty and continued to shoot until he had run out of arrows.

As Takumi was leaving, he was greeted by the grinning face of Leo’s creepier friend -- the white haired one, not the one who thought he was living in some sort of anime series. Niles leaned in close enough that Takumi could feel the other boy’s breath on his ear; if he was trying to creep Takumi out, it was working.

“Meow!” Takumi jumped back in frightened surprise, causing Niles to laugh. The grey haired boy scrambled to gather his belongings and get away from Niles as quickly as possible. As Takumi was hurrying away, he could hear Leo’s strange friend calling him a tease.

Takumi attempted in vain to get the incident out of his head as he walked to the diner to meet Hinata and Oboro; he needed the distraction, especially after his archery practice was soured by Niles at the end.

Bells chimed cheerfully at Takumi walked into the diner. He nodded at the host before walking over to where Hinata and Oboro were sitting; Hinata was already inhaling a plate of fries while Oboro looked at him in exasperation. Takumi slid into the booth next to Hinata and grabbed one of his fries before launching into the story of seeing Niles at the archery range.

“I am being paranoid about this?” asked Takumi. “I mean, it sounds paranoid to think that Leo sent his friend to follow me around, but Leo’s friends have always been pretty strange, so it can’t be that out of the question to think that Leo is creepy enough to send his friends to stalk me to see what I’m doing when we’re not working together.” As soon as the words left Takumi’s mouth, he knew how ridiculous he sounded. Even Hinata had paused in eating his fries to give Takumi a skeptical look.

“You’re here with your friends,” said Oboro. “Stop thinking about Leo and just have a good time.” Takumi flushed slightly, embarrassed that he had been dominating the conversation with his ranting about Leo. He felt insensitive, knowing Oboro’s hatred of Leo’s side of town; after her parents were mugged, she never forgave the Nohrian district for crippling her father and giving her mother such terrible anxiety that she couldn’t leave the house.

“You’re right,” Takumi sighed. “That reedy little bookworm isn’t worth worrying about.” He swiped a few more fries off Hinata’s plate and let himself get lost in the normalcy of being out with his friends. Hinata and Takumi continued to steal food from each other while Oboro rolled her eyes at their childish antics and threatened to spear Hinata with a fork if his hand got within three inches of her plate.

Takumi’s phone chimed with a text alert as the three were leaving the diner. He raised his eyebrows in slight shock to see that Leo had texted him; they had exchanged numbers when they got assigned to work together, but he hadn’t actually expected that Leo would contact him.

_Can you work on the project tomorrow?_

Takumi was rather surprised that Leo had said something to him that was neither demeaning nor condescending. He texted back a quick reply that the library wasn’t open on Sunday, but they were welcome to work at his house. After receiving affirmation of the idea from Leo, he sent the other boy his address. Takumi then pocketed his phone, forgetting about the conversation until his phone chimed a few minutes later.

 _Thank you_.

Unsure of how to respond to that, Takumi closed the messaging app and continued walking with his friends. Rather than dwell on what Leo’s sudden personality change could mean, Takumi chose to think about what character he was going to use to kick Hinata’s ass in _Street Fighter_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi's family is #familygoals

Takumi did not sleep well. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Leo was going to be in his house. The terrors that plagued Takumi’s every night had been replaced by a dream of Leo studying with him. In the midst of reading, Leo smiled that smug smirk at him before brushing Takumi’s bangs out of his face and leaning in to kiss him.

Takumi shivered at the phantom memory of Leo’s lips against his. He chalked the dream up to his mind being up to its usual tricks -- it wasn’t the worst nightmare he’d had -- but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the dream had given him.

The sharp tone of the doorbell ringing had Takumi scrambling to get to the door first. Although he trusted Sakura and his mother -- and maybe Corrin -- to answer the door without embarrassing him, he knew Hinoka and Ryoma would try to intimidate Leo on principle. It was a small mercy that Ryoma was away at class and Aunt Orochi wasn’t visiting; he would probably melt into a puddle of shame if she was around to tell stories about Takumi as a child.

Leo stood at the doorway, almost looking amused at how out of breath Takumi was. As Takumi invited Leo in, he couldn’t help but notice the circles under Leo’s eyes that were so dark that they looked like bruises. Had his eyes always looked like that? He had never paid much attention to how Leo looked; he had always been more concerned with how his grades matched up against Leo’s.

Before any of his sisters noticed that they had a guest, Takumi led Leo upstairs toward his room. Although Hinata and Oboro practically lived in Takumi’s room, it was different inviting his rival for the past three years into his room. Leo’s eyes scanned the room before his lips turned up into a smirk.

“Cute bear,” commented Leo as he nodded at the bear sitting on Takumi’s desk. Takumi flushed hotly before grabbing the bear and stowing it in his closet. The only thing that would have made the scenario worse is if the bear was actually still on his bed.

“That’s Sakura’s bear,” Takumi muttered weakly. He pulled out his books and began shuffling through his notes to distract them both from his embarrassment. He set his own materials down on his bed and then invited Leo to sit at his desk. Time passed in comfortable silence, broken occasionally by one of them asking the other to look at their work.

A knock at the door caused both boys to look up. Mikoto popped her head in with a friendly smile and asked if Leo would be staying for dinner. Takumi already knew that Leo was going to have dinner with them; his mother didn’t take no for an answer, especially when it came to feeding guests in her house. He tried to hide his grin as Leo attempted to be polite and said that he couldn’t impose upon them. This was the closest Takumi had ever seen to Leo begin flustered.

“Your mother is quite forceful…” said Leo after Mikoto left the room. Takumi finally allowed himself to laugh, seeing Leo’s confused expression.

“My mother is like that,” Takumi replied. “She adopts houseguests the way some people adopt kittens.” He stood up, stretching out his legs, before walking over to where Leo was sitting at his desk and asking what he was currently working on. He leaned over the blonde boy, nearly pressing his chest against the other’s back. Leo turned to face him, the question on his lips dying before the words could be formed. Takumi’s heart was beating fast, just like it had in his dream. He was so close to bridging the gap between them and pressing their lips together when his door burst open.

“Dinner’s ready!” Hinoka yelled. Takumi nearly fell to the floor in his haste to jump away from Leo. His sister stood in the doorway, paused in curiosity, before racing downstairs and warning them that she wasn’t going to save them anything if they didn’t head downstairs.

“Right, let’s go…” murmured Takumi. “Hinoka isn’t exaggerating. She really will leave us with nothing if we don’t go down to eat.” He was also hoping to keep Hinoka from telling the rest of the family how close he and Leo were to each other when she burst into his room. Ryoma would be home from class, and he definitely didn’t need his older brother pulling the overprotective brother card on his friend.

Wait, friend?

Takumi nearly stopped walking as the realization hit him that he was starting to consider Leo a friend instead of a rival. He hurried toward the kitchen to ask if his mother needed help, hoping that she would give him a task that would keep him busy and away from Leo.

“Thank you, but Sakura is going to help me,” Mikoto said kindly. “Go be with your friend. It’s rude to leave him all alone.” Takumi suppressed a groan and went back to Leo, who was acting unusually quiet and polite again. At least he didn’t need to worry about Leo offending his family. He almost laughed at how uncertain and hesitant Leo was acting. The blonde boy’s movements were awkward and a few seconds behind as he mimicked Takumi.

“I hope you like fish, Leo.” Takumi stared at his mother, not remembering if he told her Leo’s name. He looked over at his grinning sisters and knew that Hinoka must have said something. “And we have Takumi’s favorite, miso soup.” At least there was a small consolation to the fact that his family probably thought he was dating Leo.

“The food looks delicious,” Leo said quietly. “Thank you for inviting me to eat with you.” Mikoto gave Leo a warm smile and sat down to eat. As soon as she had filled her plate, the children immediately began fighting each other to get to the best pieces. Takumi placed a piece of fish on Leo’s plate for him.

“Trust me, you won’t be eating if you’re not quick enough,” Takumi explained. He handed over the bowl of rice to Leo and watched him attempt to get the rice onto his plate without dropping it. Leo was clearly not used to chopsticks; by the time the rest of the family was halfway done eating, Leo was still struggling with the chopsticks.

“What are you doing?” Leo asked in surprise as Takumi leaned over and placed his hand over Leo’s. The grey haired boy had a feeling that Leo’s ego would never let him use chopsticks that were tied together with paper and a rubber band; that trick used for beginners and children was sure to earn the ridicule of Takumi’s siblings, and Leo would never forgive him if Takumi gave them ammunition to tease him.

“Teaching you how you’re supposed to use these,” replied Takumi. He guided Leo’s hand into gathering the rice and raising it up to his mouth. Takumi blushed red; he could feel his family’s eyes on him while he basically fed Leo.

“Thanks…” Leo murmured sheepishly, his eyes averted from everyone watching him. Mikoto nodded her head for everyone to stop staring and continue eating; Takumi had never been so grateful for his mother. After everyone had finished eating, Mikoto had shooed the boys off while she washed the dishes with Hinoka.

In-between working and teaching Leo how to play shogi, the sun was beginning to set low in the sky. After beating Leo soundly for the third time, Leo swore revenge through a chess game next time they met.

“I should head home,” Leo commented as he looked out the window. “It’ll be too dark for me to walk back soon.” Takumi’s attention perked up; Leo had walked here? He only had a vague idea of where Leo lived, but he knew it was far enough that walking wasn’t convenient.

“I’ll drive you home,” Takumi offered. As soon as Leo began to protest, Takumi cut him off. “It’s not a problem. Besides, my mother would kill me if she found out I let you walk home. Make my mom happy and let me drive you home, okay?” Takumi knew he wasn’t playing fair by bringing his mother into it, but no one said he needed to play fair.

Leo acquiesced reluctantly, and Takumi went to grab the keys. He gave his mother a quick explanation and kissed her cheek goodbye before rushing out the door with Leo. He heard Corrin calling out from the doorway that she would kill him if he came back with any scratches on Yato.

“Your sister named her car?” asked Leo.

“She’s always been a bit strange like that,” Takumi replied with a shrug. He flipped on the radio, hoping to fill the awkward silence with music. He relaxed slightly and began humming as a song from one of his favorite bands came on.

“I love this song,” Leo said. Takumi blinked in surprise; he hadn’t expected that Leo would have _anything_ in common with him, let alone music.

“I always thought you probably only listened to classical music,” Takumi confessed.

“I’m not a stereotype,” scoffed Leo. His expression of feigned indignation made Takumi burst out laughing. The rest of the journey to Leo’s home was filled with conversation about their similar tastes in music and literature. The light conversation, however, was not able to distract Takumi from noticing that the neighborhood got darker and more rundown the further they went into the Nohrian district. Leo always put on airs of coming from royalty; the reality was nothing close.

As Takumi stopped in front of the house that Leo pointed out as his, both boys looked on the verge of saying something. Takumi wanted to say something about how he liked spending the day with Leo or that he wasn’t judging his neighborhood. “I’ll see you Monday,” was what came out of Takumi’s mouth instead. Leo gave a terse nod in reply and shrugged his backpack onto one shoulder.

Takumi watched, waiting to make sure that Leo got inside. A purple haired girl opened the door and quickly ushered Leo inside. Just as Takumi was driving away, he could hear crashes and banging from inside the house. His hands shook at the wheel and dread pooled in the pit of his stomach as he drove away from the neighborhood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo tries to avoid Takumi, and Takumi is having none of that bs.

Takumi wasn’t sure what he was expecting on Monday morning, but he definitely wasn’t expecting Leo to give him the cold shoulder. After being snubbed in the hallway when trying to say hello to the other boy, Takumi was confused and frustrated. Even during AP History, Leo was sullen and withdrawn; Takumi was tempted to suggest that they scrap all their work and create a puppet theatre for their project, just to see if Leo would react.

When a flash of blonde hair appeared in the corner of Takumi’s vision, he turned around expectantly -- only to find Leo’s friend Odin waving at him. Groaning internally, Takumi nodded a greeting at Odin. He supposed it could be worse; it could have been Niles approaching him. The grey haired boy still wasn’t sure what that exchange at the archery range was about, but he was relatively certain that he would never find out.

“My lord has a missive for you!” Odin boomed. Takumi looked around the hallway, hoping that no one was paying attention to them.

“Can’t you talk like a normal person?” complained Takumi. “And why can’t Leo just text me himself instead of making you deliver his message?” Odin seemed unfazed by Takumi’s questions; if anything, it seemed to inspire Odin further.

“Leo is a very mysterious character in the theatre of life, for even I do not understand the cogs that turn inside his mind.” Takumi stared, expression deadpan, as Odin rambled. Even Odin must have sensed that his audience did not appreciate his talents, and he handed a note off to Takumi. Takumi toyed with the folded piece of paper briefly before opening it to see the message.

_We will no longer need to meet in person for this project. Your work has been sufficient. Please hand off your materials so that I may complete the project alone._

Takumi read the message over a few times. Then he read it a few more times. Then he crumpled up the paper and threw it to the floor. He was going to find Leo and force that blonde asshole to explain himself.

“Hey!” Takumi barked. The halls were mostly empty -- the majority of the student body didn’t bother to stay after the dismissal bell -- which made Takumi’s task of finding Leo all that much easier. The blonde kept walking as if he’d heard nothing, and Takumi regretted throwing the note on the floor because he wanted to throw the damn paper at Leo’s head.

Taking a pen out of his pocket, Takumi took aim and threw it at Leo’s head. Leo immediately turned around and sent a chilling glare in Takumi’s direction. That look would have scared anyone into running the opposite direction, but Takumi was still too incensed to care.

“There are better ways to get my attention than throwing objects at me,” Leo growled. Takumi closed the distance between them and picked up the offending object.

“Considering words didn’t work, I needed a new approach,” Takumi fired back. Leo crossed his arms, but he stayed in place nonetheless. “You think you can just write me out of your life with a note that your friend needed to deliver? What kind of coward are you?” Leo bristled; Takumi couldn’t help the sense of satisfaction that he got from knowing that he was getting to Leo.

“Don’t call me a coward.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” asked Takumi. “Only a coward would send someone else to do his dirty work. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to keep working with me on this project. I’m not giving you my work, so either you work with me or you fail.” Takumi could only hope that Leo’s desire to be valedictorian won out over his stubbornness. As Leo’s shoulders slumped and a sigh escaped his lips, Takumi knew he’d won.

“Fine,” Leo acquiesced, “let’s get this over with.” The short walk to the library was laced with tense silence. Once inside the library, Takumi took Leo into one of the study rooms. The grey haired boy took out his books halfheartedly, his attention focused more on Leo. If Leo noticed anything, he didn’t say anything; he didn’t even look up from his books.

“Okay, I have to ask,” said Takumi, breaking the silence, “why did you try to get rid of me? Am I not good enough to be around you?” Just voicing that concern out loud was painful. Leo had always made him feel inadequate, just like all of his siblings; after finally feeling like he and Leo were equals, he didn’t want to let go of that.

“It had nothing to do with you.” Leo’s tone held the implication that he wanted Takumi to drop the subject, but there was no chance of Takumi letting it go. Takumi’s burning gaze must have gotten to Leo because the blonde sighed heavily and looked up to finally make eye contact with Takumi.

“You don’t get it,” Leo sighed, “and I doubt you ever could.” As Takumi began to protest, Leo held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t say that to insult your intelligence. I say it because your world is filled with warmth and riches, and mine is not. I refuse to let anyone pity me because of my circumstances. You have seen where I live. Your district turns a blind eye to the problems in mine, so we fight to prove that we are just as worthy as our neighbors who have been graced with far better circumstances.”

Takumi stayed silent; there was nothing he could say because Leo was right. He had believed that Nohrians were all thieves and thugs, but Leo was nothing like that. Takumi’s chest felt hollow as the realization hit him that he had been part of the problem; he had never questioned the prejudice against the Nohrian district.

“I don’t judge you for any of that,” Takumi said. “The only thing I judge you for is the fact that you show up to school with your clothes inside out at least three times a week.” Leo blushed in embarrassment, but the corners of his lips had quirked up into a smile. Takumi smiled back widely.

“You’re an ass,” said Leo, his tone almost affectionate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odin was my favorite part to write in this chapter. Actually, in every chapter. He's my dorky chuunibyou.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi overthinks things, Azura comes to visit and has excellent chopstick skills, and Corrin knows way more than she should.

Even after the project ended, Leo and Takumi continued to hang out with each other. They had study dates -- no, not dates, study _sessions_ \-- at least twice a week in the library. It wasn’t uncommon for one of them to walk into AP History with a new book waiting on his desk. Even Leo’s chess set permanently lived at Takumi’s house, right next to Takumi’s shogi board.

Hinata adjusted much more quickly to the change in dynamic. Once he could understand Odin, Hinata was begging for the blonde to teach him magic; Takumi didn’t have the heart to tell him that Odin’s magic powers were just cheap parlor tricks anyone could learn off YouTube.

Oboro, however, took more time. She wasn’t fond of Leo or his friends, especially Niles. Everyone was waiting for the day that Oboro finally slapped him for his inappropriate comments. Takumi had to give Leo’s friends credit; they both had a way if words, even if one’s speech was indecipherable and the other’s was lewd.

Not to mention, being around Leo so frequently gave Takumi the chance to see how pretty the blonde boy was.

Wait, what?

Takumi paused. He had never considered it before, but there was something beautiful about Leo’s delicate features. He was certain that if he ran his fingers through those golden strands, they’d feel as soft as they looked.

As soon as he felt the heat rushing to his cheeks, Takumi pressed his hands to his face and tried to will the blood away. He did not have a _crush_ on Leo. Leo was just barely his friend, so there was no way that he could like Leo like that.

The doorbell rang, causing Takumi to jump. He hastily exited the online chess game he was playing and walked into the hallway to be nearly run over by Corrin. Suddenly fearful of why Corrin wanted to answer the door, Takumi chased after his sister.

“Corrin!” Takumi shouted as he ran down the stairs. “Don’t you dare!” He wasn’t sure what he was telling her not to do, but it was a safe bet that she was planning to do something. Takumi paused at the foot of the stairs to see Corrin opening the door for Leo and…Leo’s sister? The girl standing next to Leo had Rapunzel-length blue hair and a gentle smile on her face.

“Azura!” Corrin greeted the girl cheerfully. Now it clicked in Takumi’s head; Azura was a senior like Corrin. Corrin pulled Azura in for a hug and grinned knowingly at Takumi from over the other girl’s shoulder. Takumi shot a glare in his sister’s direction before motioning for Leo to follow him upstairs and away from prying eyes.

Their chess and shogi sets were given a break in favor of _Super Smash Bros_. Takumi was used to playing the video game with Hinata and Oboro, so he was hoping that he’d have an edge on Leo this time.

“Really?” asked Takumi dryly as Leo selected Marth. He looked between Leo and the screen a few times. “You do realize that you look like a blonde version of Marth, right?” Takumi briefly hovered over Zelda -- admittedly, he always picked her because her final Smash was a giant arrow -- before selecting Link.

“Shut it,” Leo grumbled. “Just don’t cry too much when I wipe the floor with you.” Takumi grinned and turned to the screen, selecting Final Destination. The grey haired boy was surprised by Leo’s skill; he wasn’t going to get the easy win that he was hoping for.

When Takumi used his final Smash on Leo with both of them at one life, the blonde immediately demanded a rematch. They were both tied at five wins each when Mikoto called for help setting the table for dinner.

“You’re lucky,” commented Takumi, “because I would have won that next match.” He turned off the console and went down toward the kitchen. They were the first to arrive, so Mikoto handed plates to both of the boys and sent them off to the dining room. Leo had become such a common fixture in their house that helping to make dinner or set the table wasn’t something to think twice about.

Once the food was set onto the table, Ryoma and Hinoka immediately began hitting each other’s hands with their chopsticks while fighting for the best pieces of beef, but one stern look from Mikoto was enough to cause both older siblings to stop play-fighting sheepishly.

“Thank you for the wonderful meal,” said Azura. Takumi hid a grin at Leo’s obvious jealousy that Azura had no difficulty with using chopsticks. While Leo was still pouting about Azura’s innate chopstick skills, Takumi swiped a piece of meat off Leo’s plate.

“Hey!” Leo glared at Takumi and stole a piece of beef from Takumi’s plate. At the end of the meal, they had eaten more from the other’s plates than from their own. Corrin gave the boys another knowing smile before taking their plates and offering to do the dishes.

After a few more rounds of _Smash_ and still caught in a tied score, Azura knocked on the door to ask if Leo was going to go home with her. As soon as Takumi heard that Corrin would be driving them both home, he leapt to his feet and told his sister that he’d be joining them. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Corrin not to say anything to Leo, it was just that…well, he didn’t trust her not to say anything to Leo.

“Takumi, do you mind sitting in the back with Leo?” asked Corrin. She pulled the seat forward and stepped back to allow the boys into the backseat. As the blonde climbed into the backseat, Takumi’s eyes gravitated toward Leo’s ass. An elbow nudge, accompanied by a giggle, from Corrin broke Takumi’s concentration and sent him scrambling into the car before Corrin could make a comment.

With Corrin and Azura in the car, the conversation was such more subdued than usual in the car. The boys spoke to each other in quiet whispers about history assignments and upcoming tests.

Corrin pulled to a stop in front of the house, and the purple haired girl -- Takumi had learned that she was Camilla, Leo’s oldest sister -- was waiting by the window for them. As Azura and Leo left, Takumi climbed forward into the front seat. Takumi had hoped that he’d get through the car ride home without Corrin saying anything, but when they stopped at a red light, Corrin’s face told him that he wouldn’t be that lucky.

“So…” Corrin trailed off. “Do you think Leo noticed that you were eyeing his ass like a piece of meat before?”

“Please just shut up and drive,” groaned Takumi, putting his head in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for the barest of bare hints of Azurrin? :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan. Takumi wakes up to an emergency 2 AM phone call, and things are going to change.

When Takumi’s phone rang at two in the morning, he had assumed it was probably Oboro having another rough night with her insomnia or Hinata waking up from a bizarre dream; he wasn’t expecting to see Leo’s name appear on his phone screen.

“Hello?” Takumi answered groggily. He reached over to turn on his bedside lamp before falling back against his pillows. Maybe Leo had accidentally pocket-dialed him.

“Takumi?” Leo’s tinny voice came through the receiver. “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I need a favor…” Takumi sat up immediately upon hearing the notes of desperation in Leo’s voice. He swore he heard Leo’s voice trembling, but that could have just been poor reception.

“What is it?” asked Takumi, trying to keep his mind from racing with all the terrifying possibilities of what happened to Leo. He swung out of bed and tugged on the nearest pair of shoes.

“I need you to come to the school,” Leo replied. “I need somewhere to stay tonight. I…I don’t know what to do.” Still in his pajamas, Takumi threw on a coat and grabbed the keys to Corrin’s car. He mentally said an apology to Corrin for taking her car without her knowledge, but he knew she’d be okay with it if she knew why he needed it.

“I’ll be there in five,” Takumi said before tossing his phone onto the passenger seat and pulling out of the driveway. Even with the windows to keep out the chill of the winter air, Takumi could still see his breath as he drove to the school. As he pulled up to the school building, he saw a silhouette illuminated by the dim light of the announcement board. He parked as close as he could to the sign and then ran over to where Leo was standing.

“Are you insane?” asked Takumi, already pulling off his jacket to wrap it around Leo’s shoulders. “How could you go out in this weather without a coat?” Leo’s teeth were chattering, preventing him from answering. Takumi guided Leo back to the car and turned the heat up to full blast.

The ride back to Takumi’s house was silent, save for the blowing of the heat from the vents. Takumi unlocked the door as quietly as he could and dropped Corrin’s keys back onto the counter. He took Leo’s cold hand and led him up the stairs into his room. The lamp was still on, and the sheets were still crumpled from when Takumi jumped out of bed. Leo’s lips quirked up onto a smile as his eyes landed on the stuffed bear sitting in the tangled sheets. Takumi reached for the bear and quickly shoved it in the top drawer of his nightstand before turning back to Leo with worry lining his features.

The grey haired boy pulled out a set of clothes for Leo to change into and waited on his bed as Leo went into the bathroom to get changed. As the blonde returned to the room, the first thing he noticed was that Leo’s right wrist was swollen and dark bruises ringed around the pale skin. Takumi reached out to brush his fingers against Leo’s wrist and quickly apologized as Leo winced away.

“What happened?” Takumi asked softly. He moved over to give Leo room sit next down. They sat cross-legged, facing each other on Takumi’s bed.

“My father,” whispered Leo, and that was all he said before his breath hitched. The blonde breathed shakily for a few moments to gain his composure before continuing. “He threw me out. He was drunk, and he’s always angry when he’s drunk. He grabbed me by the wrist and threw me out the door. When I tried to get back inside, he slammed the door on my arm.” Takumi swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. He felt overwhelmed by the feeling of helplessness. Unsure of what to say, Takumi reached out and pulled Leo in for a tight embrace.

“You could report him to the authorities,” Takumi said quietly. He felt Leo shake his head against his chest. Leo pulled away from the hug and wrapped his arms around himself.

“He’d sooner kill me than let that happen,” Leo replied. “He would have no problem killing me if it came to that.” Leo’s tone told Takumi that the other boy was not exaggerating, and that was what scared Takumi the most.

“How can he do that to you?” Takumi asked. “How can he hurt his own child?”

“Ever since my mother died, he hasn’t been the same,” said Leo. “He fell into a bottle when she died, and he never climbed out of it. My father’s only gotten worse since Xander left for college. Xander didn’t want to leave us, but Camilla convinced him that the only way that we could all leave there one day was if he went to college and got his degree. She wouldn’t let him throw away his athletic scholarship.

“He always wanted me to be more like Xander. I never showed the same aptitude for athletics that my brother did, but I thought if I could show my father that I had potential in other fields, he would approve of me too. I’d never be the athlete that Xander is, but I could be the smarter than everyone else.

“But being first in class every year has changed nothing. All those sleepless nights spent studying, they were all for nothing.” Leo’s tone took on a bitter edge. “I was never going to win his approval.” Takumi took Leo’s hands and unwound the other boy’s arms from around his chest. He guided Leo to rest against his chest and wrapped his arms around the blonde in a protective embrace.

Takumi wanted to say something, anything, to help Leo, but the words died before ever reaching his lips. There was nothing he could say or do to make the situation go away. Instead, he just held onto Leo and prayed to any gods listening for Leo’s sake.

As the night grew later and both boys grew sleepier, Takumi stood up to let Leo know that he was going to sleep downstairs on the couch. Leo whispered a quiet thank you, and he looked as if he wanted to say something else. If he had asked Takumi to stay, the grey haired boy would have done so in a heartbeat. Instead, Leo held back and Takumi watched as the blonde retreated into himself.

With a soft good night, Takumi shut the door behind him. Helplessness still weighed heavy on his shoulders, but for now, he was able to provide Leo with a temporary shelter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garon wins the worst father of the year award! Actually, canon!Garon wins that award and this Garon wins "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" for not being as bad as canon!Garon


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi intercepts Leo before he can try to withdraw again, and Takumi reveals some of his past to Leo.

After the dismissal bell rang, Takumi had one goal: find Leo. He wasn’t about to let Leo pull away like he did the last time Takumi learned about his home life. He went to Leo’s locker before going to his own and waited for the blonde boy there. Leo didn’t seem surprised to see him there; he looked almost…resigned, like he was expecting Takumi to pity him.

“This doesn’t change anything,” Takumi began.

“No,” interrupted Leo, “it changes everything.” His arms were tight around his books, and his gaze was pointedly avoiding Takumi’s. “How can you say that it doesn’t change anything when you’ve found out how fucked up my family is? Your family is so warm and loving, and they’re everything that my family isn’t. How can I believe that you’re not going to start feeling sorry for me?”

“By trusting me,” Takumi replied. “Look, you’re right. It does change things. It’s naïve to say that nothing is going to change. I’m going to worry about you more than I did before, and I feel useless because I can’t do anything to help you.” Leo’s grip on his books tightened, and his gaze fell to the floor. “That’s what friends do for each other, and you have to admit that after all this time, we’ve become friends.” The word friend felt heavy on Takumi’s tongue. A few months prior, he would have laughed at the possibility that he would be Leo’s friend; now Takumi was afraid of the possibility that he wanted to be more than friends with Leo. Regardless, Leo’s guard seemed to drop at the word. His grip loosened, and he opened his locker to put away the books that had been used as a barrier between them during the conversation.

An idea sparked in Takumi’s mind, and he typed out a quick text to Corrin that he wouldn’t be riding home with her. As the pair exited the school building, Takumi began leading Leo down a familiar path.

“Where are we going?” asked Leo. They were headed in the opposite direction of the library and Takumi’s house, and Takumi knew that Leo would be wary. He wasn’t that easy to trick.

“Just trust me,” Takumi said. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Takumi led Leo to the archery range. Setsuna, Hinoka’s friend, was sitting behind the counter and gave them a slow wave. The grey haired boy greeted Setsuna and then asked for a quiver of arrows. He motioned for Leo to follow him and walked outside where targets were hung up on hay bales.

Takumi drew an arrow from the quiver and set it in place before pulling the string back. He fired the arrow, landing it dead center. He shot off a few more arrows, all of them landing in the innermost ring, before handing the bow over to Leo.

“Every time I feel like the world is closing in on me, I come here,” said Takumi. “There’s something about feeling the bow and arrow at my fingertips and knowing that I have control over the arrow’s direction, even if I don’t have control over my own life. I come here to shoot arrows until I feel like I can return to the outside world again. We all need a safe haven, and this is mine.” Takumi looked over from the target to Leo, who was watching him with open, unguarded eyes.

“I started coming here…” Takumi paused as the emotions began bubbling up to the surface. “I started coming here after my father died. I was so angry about everything, and no amount of talking could fix that. Everyone around me wanted to make sure that I was okay, to see how I was doing, but all they were doing was reminding me of the fact that my father was gone. I couldn’t stand every conversation being a reminder that my father was dead.

“Hinoka came to pick me up from school one day, and I yelled at her that she should just leave me behind. I said awful things to her, but she didn’t leave me. She brought me to the archery range instead to meet her friend Setsuna. Setsuna told me that she loved archery because it didn’t require her to think, and she’s good at things when she doesn’t think about it. I picked up the bow after that, and Setsuna had me shoot with her every day after school. The world was still cold and cruel, but I could deal with it now.”

Taking an arrow, Takumi handed it over to Leo and showed him how to nock the arrow properly. Once the arrow was in place and he had tested the string a few times, Leo let the arrow fly. It sank into the hay bale, above six inches away from the outermost ring of the target.

“I think you’re better suited to archery than I am,” said Leo. With an embarrassed blush, he attempted to hand the bow back to Takumi, but the shorter boy just handed him another arrow instead.

“You’re not going to quit just because you weren’t good at it the first time you tried, are you?” Takumi smiled as Leo reluctantly took the arrow and set it up for his second shot. He stepped closer to correct Leo’s stance and guided him through the process as Leo shot the second arrow. The arrow landed in the second circle from the outside. Leo turned to Takumi and grinned triumphantly before schooling his features to a neutral expression again.

“I suppose this isn’t too bad…” Leo murmured. Takumi continued to advise the blonde as they used up their supply of arrows. Leo never hit the center of the target, but he was consistently hitting the third ring in by the time they had finished.

Once children started piling in for their lessons, Takumi returned the bow to Setsuna. She gave the boys another slow wave as the bell chimed to signal their departure.

The sun was setting low in the sky as they walked out onto the street. Leo opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a muffled chime. He pulled out his phone and raised an eyebrow upon looking at the screen.

“My father wants me to return home,” Leo said slowly, almost warily. Takumi immediately stiffened. A protest was on his lips as Leo began speaking again. “I have to go home.”

“To the man who hit you and threw you out of the house?” Takumi asked angrily. Leo sighed.

“To my siblings,” responded Leo. That gave Takumi reason to pause. “I won’t leave them alone. I don’t need your permission to make a decision about my own life…but I would like your support.” Takumi nodded. No matter how much he hated the idea of Leo returning there, he had no right to stop him. He thought of his own siblings, and if he’d be able to make the decision to leave them in that situation. The answer was immediate: never.

“I meant it when I told you to trust me,” Takumi said. “I’ll do anything I can to help.” Anything to make him feel less helpless. Leo smiled, and Takumi offered to walk to the bus stop with him. They walked in almost comfortable silence before stopping at the bus station to wait.

Takumi’s heart skipped a beat as Leo placed his hand on Takumi’s shoulder. The shorter boy looked up, staring face to face with Leo. His heart was beginning to race. They were just inches apart; all Takumi had to do was just lean up and press their lips together, but the rumbling of the approaching bus broke the spell of the moment.

“Thank you,” Leo said. With a lingering touch, he let his hand fall to his side. “Your support means so much to me.” A swishing noise signaled that the doors to the bus had opened, and Leo turned around to step onto the bus. The blonde turned back to look at Takumi and gave him a slight smile before disappearing inside.

Takumi stood there and waited until the bus was no longer in his line of sight. Once the bus had faded into the horizon, he turned around and began his journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Setsuna and Takumi having a friendship based on archery. Actually, I just realized I've never read any of their supports. Time for me to go support grind them to see what their relationship is like. (Spoiler alert: I will still think of them as best archer buddies no matter what the canon is)


	8. Paralogue 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After taking Leo to the archery range, Takumi turns to his friends to sort out his thoughts (and feelings, but he's pretending that he doesn't have any of those)

After everything that had happened, Takumi needed to see Oboro and Hinata to sort out his thoughts. The diner, one of their usual meeting places, was the perfect place to talk without Takumi’s family overhearing or trying to join the conversation. Takumi sat at a booth in the back of the diner while mindlessly picking at a plate of fries and occasionally checking his phone for a text from either of his friends. Each ding of the bell that signaled the door opening had Takumi perking up to look for his friends until they arrived.

Oboro arrived first, followed shortly by Hinata. Upon joining the pair at the table, Hinata swiped two fries from the plate and popped them in his mouth. He grinned shamelessly as Oboro rolled her eyes at his poor table manners.

“So, what’s the emergency diner meeting for?” Hinata asked around a mouthful of potato.

“Are you okay?” Oboro followed up. Takumi sighed, unsure of what to say and how much information to reveal. Leo’s family situation wasn’t his story to tell, and he knew that Leo wouldn’t want him telling anyone about what had happened; the blonde would be too stubborn and proud to admit that there was anything wrong to his own friends, let alone to Takumi’s.

The arrival of the waitress bought Takumi a few more minutes to think, but he needed to tell them at least something about what was running through his head. The thoughts had been bouncing around his skull nonstop, and it was driving him insane.

“I have no clue what I’m doing,” Takumi confessed. “Leo stayed over my house two nights ago. There were…extenuating circumstances.” Shit, that sounded wrong. “I mean, he was having some family issues and needed a place to crash.” Leo was prickly at best most of the time, but Takumi couldn’t get the image of Leo dropping his guard and looking vulnerable out of his head. Something had changed between them that night, and Takumi couldn’t distinguish what it was.

“What else happened?” asked Oboro.

“Nothing really,” Takumi replied. “I went downstairs to sleep on the couch, and he slept in my bed. But…” He paused, thinking of the feeling of Leo’s hand grasping his shoulder. Takumi explained how he brought Leo to the archery range to talk and teach the other boy how to shoot an arrow -- but mostly to talk. Blushing and tense throughout it all, he recounted their goodbye at the bus stop and how it felt like they parted with something left unsaid.

“So, you like him, right?” Hinata asked as Takumi finished speaking. Takumi’s eyes widened, and his face grew hot. Oboro sounded like she was choking on her water before she slapped Hinata upside the head.

“He does not!” hissed Oboro. She paused, turning to look curiously at Takumi. “Do you?” Takumi swallowed hard. He had been avoiding that question in his own mind for so long, and now everything was out in the open.

“…I don’t know,” Takumi replied. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no either. That was as much as Takumi was willing to say out loud. It wasn’t a lie, but the words still felt heavy on his tongue. Even if they weren’t in public, even if Takumi was completely alone in his room, he wouldn’t be able to say it. Saying it out loud made it real, and he wasn’t ready to face that truth yet.

“But it’s still a possibility that’s on the table,” Oboro said slowly. Takumi nodded almost imperceptibly. The urge to retreat into himself was getting stronger.

“So then go for it!” Hinata cheered. Takumi winced at Hinata’s volume, and Oboro smacked Hinata once again and chided him for being so loud.

“Even if the answer was a yes,” Takumi began, “and that’s just an if, he’s got so much going on in his life right now. It’s selfish for me to complicate his life further like that.” Takumi’s hands were shaking just thinking about it. What if he only made Leo’s life worse? How would he be able to live with himself, knowing that he was responsible for someone else’s misery? Gods, it would just prove everything that Takumi had thought about himself was right.

Oboro frowned, and Hinata shook his head slightly before turning his attention back onto Takumi. “I’m not going to try to tell you how you feel, but if you think that you would make him happy and he would make you happy, why not go for it? Don’t go looking for excuses why it’s a bad idea or not going to happen because you’re always going to find some excuse.” As much as Takumi didn’t want to admit it, Hinata was right.

“Have a little faith in Leo,” Oboro said gently, “and have a little faith in yourself. You always think of the worst case scenario, and then you think that it’s the only possible outcome. Even if the worst did happen, we’re here for you and we’ll be your shelter from the storm.” Hinata nodded his agreement, and Takumi gave his friends a small smile. His friends were so supportive, so genuine in caring about him; he owed it to them to at least give it a try.

“I promise that I’ll think about it.” The promise to think about it was halfhearted, but at least it was a start. Takumi could work his way up from there.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi attempts a lowkey date by asking Leo to go with him to a volleyball game Hinoka is playing in. Somehow, both their families hijack the outing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where the chapters start getting a lot longer. Minus the paralogue, all the chapters from here on out and probably double the length as the others. Not that it's saying that much, because it's still only ~2k per chapter now.

With Hinata and Oboro pestering him daily about asking Leo out, Takumi’s resolve was starting to crumble. The more his friends suggested ways for Takumi to ask Leo out, the more he started to consider that asking Leo out might not be such a bad thing.

The opportunity came when Hinoka announced that her volleyball team was going to play a fundraiser game on campus. It was perfect for a low-pressure date that he wasn’t going to tell Leo was a date. He could probably sneak away from the game at some point and find somewhere on campus to be alone with Leo.

With his phone in his hand and Leo’s contact information on the screen, Takumi hit the button to call Leo. When Leo picked up, Takumi explained the details of Hinoka’s volleyball game and asked the blonde if he wanted to come. The boys were in the middle of discussing a meeting point when Corrin swiped the phone out of Takumi’s hand.

“Leo?” asked Corrin. “It’s Corrin! Would you be able to do me a favor? Can you tell Azura that she’s invited to Hinoka’s volleyball game today?” Takumi sent a distressed look at Corrin as she chatted away with Leo. Somehow, the conversation turned into Leo’s entire family being invited to the volleyball game. Takumi sighed, lamenting over his plans.

“You couldn’t have called Azura from your own phone?” grumbled Takumi as Corrin handed back the phone with an innocent smile.

“You were already on the phone with Leo,” Corrin replied. “It seemed easier to ask when you already had him on the line.” Takumi groaned and turned around to leave without answering Corrin. He walked into the kitchen and caught Hinoka at the door.

“Can I hitch a ride with you?” asked Takumi.

“Yeah, sure,” Hinoka replied with a shrug. “You know you’re going to be there for an hour before the game starts though, right?” That was exactly what Takumi was hoping for. He needed some time away from his family, especially now that he was going to meet all of Leo’s siblings.

Takumi cursed himself for feeling so nervous about meeting Leo’s family. He had no reason to be nervous; they weren’t dating. There was no reason for him to assume that Leo would have even wanted to go out on a date with him. With all the years he spent despising Leo, Takumi would have never thought he’d ask himself one day if he was good enough to date Leo.

The all too familiar feeling of insecurity was creeping into Takumi’s bones. Leo was arguably the most intelligent person Takumi had ever met, not to mention he was also one of the most attractive people he had met. What did he have to offer Leo besides his emotional baggage?

“I know that look.” Hinoka’s voice interrupted Takumi’s thoughts. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Takumi shook his head, hoping that the action would be enough for his sister to drop the subject. He wasn’t that lucky though. Hinoka was not like Sakura or even Ryoma; she was stubborn, and Takumi knew that she wasn’t going to let him off the hook until he answered.

“It’s Leo,” Takumi replied finally. As Hinoka began to unleash a torrent of threats directed toward Leo for breaking her baby brother’s heart, Takumi could only stare in embarrassed horror. Any and all attempts to interrupt his sister were quickly shut down.

“Don’t defend that reedy little bookworm after he dumped you!” Hinoka growled. Takumi groaned and hid his face behind his hands. He wondered if it was possible to actually die from embarrassment. Would they put that on his death certificate?

“Hinoka!” Takumi cried out. “Leo and I aren’t dating! Why would you assume that?” Hinoka blinked a few times before laughing. Takumi crossed his arms and glared, the expression looking much more petulant than it was threatening.

“Come on, Takumi, isn’t it obvious?” asked Hinoka. Takumi stayed silent and gave his sister a look that expected her to go on. “You guys like each other more than Subaki likes himself. I can’t believe that you’re not actually dating already.” Takumi rubbed his temples as Hinoka told him that their entire family had assumed Takumi had started dating Leo but would tell them when he was ready. Suddenly the random check-ins from his mother and the shy giggling from Sakura made a lot more sense. Oh gods, wait, who was it that left a package of condoms of his bed?!

“No,” Takumi said slowly. “We’re not dating. Leo would never be interested in that.” Leo would never be interested in him. Leo was at the top of the class, quick minded and clever, and he could easily date anyone he wanted. What reason would he have for choosing to date a second-rate, second-place wannabe?

“He’s straight?” Takumi paused at Hinoka’s question. He didn’t actually know anything about Leo’s dating life or preferences.

“Maybe…” Takumi murmured. “Probably, I don’t know. It wouldn’t change anything anyway.” His tone ended the conversation, and they drove the last few minutes to Hinoka’s campus in silence. After Hinoka turned into a parking lot and pulled into a spot, she shut off the car and turned to face her younger brother.

“I think I know why you and Leo aren’t going out,” Hinoka stated. Takumi raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “There’s no way you can deny that you like him. You haven’t acted like this since you liked Hana when you were in sixth grade, and I’m pretty sure that Leo isn’t going to beat the shit out of you like Hana did.” Takumi glared at the reminder of that particular memory. Regardless, Hana’s beating would be nothing in comparison to the pain of losing Leo as a friend.

“Hinoka, what’s your point?” asked Takumi, hoping that his abrasiveness would make his sister drop the subject.

“That’s my point!” Hinoka snapped. “You push everyone away when they get too close.” Hinoka’s expression and her tone softened. “Takumi, the only person who thinks that you’re not good enough is you. If you could see yourself from the outside, you’d know how important you are to so many people. There’s a storm constantly brewing inside of you, and you’ve got nowhere to take shelter. Let yourself lean on other people. Let us in, Takumi.”

Takumi opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of how to respond. He cast his eyes downward as Hinoka leaned over and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. The grey haired boy opened his mouth again -- still trying to think of something, _anything_ , to say -- when his phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and swiped across the screen to see a text from Leo that he was already on campus. Takumi scrambled for the door and yelled a quick goodbye to his sister before taking off running. Hinoka wasn’t going to let the subject go that easily, but at least he had bought himself some time before needing to return to that conversation.

Takumi stopped short as his eyes fell upon a family made up mostly of blondes. The tall boy with golden hair standing next to Leo, he had to be Xander. Holding Xander’s hand and giggling sweetly was a tiny girl with huge pigtails. She had to be Elise. She hardly looked like she belonged in the family with her sunny smile and bouncing excitement. He already knew Azura because of Corrin, so the lavender haired girl had to be Camilla.

Leo perked up as his eyes caught Takumi’s gaze, and he waved the grey haired boy over to his family. Takumi greeted them all politely, trying his best not to seem awkward or tense. The feeling of awkwardness only increased as Camilla leaned in and pressed Takumi into a tight hug. Scarlet-faced, Takumi tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that Camilla’s chest was inches away from his face. As he looked over at Leo to find the blonde boy scowling, he couldn’t help the traitorously hopeful thought that the source of Leo’s ire was jealousy.

“Darling, I’ve heard so much about you!” Camilla cooed. She pulled back to examine Takumi, and Takumi couldn’t tell if her intentions were motherly or sinister; he had a feeling that the purple haired vixen would gladly take a bite out of him if the possibility arose.

Takumi grinned as he looked over at Leo, who was blushing and looked like he was silently pleading with Camilla not to say anything more. Luckily for Leo, he got his wish when Ryoma announced that Hinoka’s game would be starting in just a few minutes.

Hinoka waved at her family as everyone settled down in the bleachers. Takumi took a look around and it seemed as though almost everyone had paired off. Ryoma and Xander were speaking passionately about something Takumi couldn’t hear, but he ventured a guess that it was probably something involving sports. Corrin and Azura had taken to a corner off in the back, and Takumi silently cursed his sister for taking his idea.

Meanwhile, Elise had begun plaiting Sakura’s hair. The blonde girl had taken out her pigtails and was offering to let Sakura practice braiding on her hair. Takumi smiled slightly as he saw his normally shy and skittish sister reach out to slowly, almost hesitantly, twist Elise’s hair into a braid.

“Takumi, my dear, would you like to sit with me?” Without even needing to turn around, Takumi knew that Camilla would be standing behind him -- and sure enough, when he did turn around, the older girl was smiling slyly at him. “Don’t worry, Leo, I promise that Takumi can sit in-between us. I won’t steal all of your friend’s attention.” Takumi could sense that Camilla was not the kind of woman who took no for an answer, and he sat down in-between the two siblings on the bleachers.

Leo had been uncharacteristically quiet, and Takumi wondered if that was because of the overwhelming amount of people that they had brought with them. Takumi was certain that he’d never gone this long without hearing a snarky comment coming from Leo’s mouth.

Takumi didn’t need to worry about Camilla zeroing her attention in on him because as soon as the game started, Camilla’s sight was centered on Hinoka. Trying not to think too much about Camilla’s sudden fascination with his sister, Takumi leaned in closer to Leo.

“Want to take a break?” asked Takumi, nudging his head in the direction of the exit. Leo nodded and allowed Takumi to take his hand to lead him out of the overcrowded bleachers and away from the cacophony of cheering. Takumi was still holding Leo’s hand as he opened the door to the outside.

The boys were greeted with crisp, fresh air upon walking outside. Takumi dropped Leo’s hand after realizing that he was still holding onto it, and then quickly offered to show Leo around the campus -- the offer mostly to distract Leo from realizing how long Takumi was holding his hand.

Hinoka’s campus was sprawling. It was the beginning of spring, which meant that almost everyone there was milling about outside to enjoy the sun’s warm rays after enduring a long winter. Brightly colored crocuses dotted the fields as the boys walked through the campus together.

“In less than two years, this will be us,” said Leo, a hint of longing in his tone. “Have you thought about where you’ll be going?” Takumi had always assumed he would stay local and live at home like Ryoma and Hinoka or dorm at a college close enough that he could visit on the weekends, but he hadn’t thought of much more than that.

“I know I don’t want to go to the same university as Ryoma or Hinoka,” Takumi replied. “Or Corrin for that matter. I don’t want to deal with the comparisons anymore. Every teacher I’ve had has mentioned at least one of my siblings upon meeting me, and it’s usually to reminisce about how wonderful my siblings were.” Every September, the pressure was on from the moment he walked the door to meet a new teacher. He dreaded meeting teachers he’d never had before because every single teacher had something to say about Takumi’s siblings. Ryoma had been the natural leader, Hinoka a star athlete, and Corrin was still a senior but was well-loved by everyone in the school.

“I understand that,” Leo spoke, interrupting Takumi’s thoughts. “I don’t think I could stand another four years of being Xander’s kid brother. I want to make my own name for myself.” Having finally seen Xander in person, Takumi could understand why; he loomed just as large as Ryoma, and it was impossible to live in the shadow he that cast.

They stopped at one of the buildings -- Takumi wasn’t paying all that much attention to look for a sign -- and he leaned his weight back against the brick wall. Leo stood in front of him, and Takumi felt his heart skip a beat when he realized how close Leo was to him. He wouldn’t have minded if Leo decided to box him in by pressing his hands against the wall on either side of Takumi’s face. Then all Leo would need to do would lean down just slightly…

Takumi blushed and shook the thoughts from his head, embarrassed that he even thought about the scenario. The fantasy in his head was far too similar to one of Corrin’s romance novels. He was still mentally berating himself when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Leo’s hand was resting against the wall, just inches away from Takumi’s face.

Leo’s name was on Takumi’s lips as the blonde leaned in slowly. Takumi held his breath in anticipation, and his eyes were just about to flutter shut when a shrill chime interrupted them. Leo pulled out his phone and saw a text from Camilla on the screen.

“It appears we missed the ending of the game,” said Leo, almost sheepish. “Camilla insists that we return to make up for our poor manners.” Leo paused. “I think she’s trying to make a good impression on your sister.” Takumi shuddered at having his suspicions confirmed.

“I don’t need that mental image…” Takumi complained. He sighed inwardly as he pushed himself away from the wall and back toward the gym where their families were waiting. The grin on Corrin’s face when they returned told Takumi that she was expecting something salacious to have happened.

More disconcerting that Corrin’s inevitable nosiness and teasing was the look Camilla was giving Hinoka. Hinoka was still in her uniform, still sweaty and red-faced, and Camilla was looking at her like a predator would to prey.

“My team won,” said Hinoka. “Just letting you know since you weren’t there to see it.” Takumi was about to argue back that she was playing against her own teammates but decided better of it and kept his mouth shut. Hinoka was smiling at Takumi though; he knew she wasn’t actually mad at him, but just teasing.

The sun was setting as the two families walked toward the parking lot. Takumi swore that he saw Camilla and Hinoka exchanging phone numbers, but he didn’t want to think too hard about that possibility. Instead, Takumi was once again greeted with Camilla’s chest extremely close to his face as she left Hinoka’s side to give Takumi a hug goodbye.

“You know,” Camilla began in the low, sultry that Takumi had realized was Camilla’s natural speaking tone, “Leo absolutely adores you. Be gentle with his heart, my darling, or else I won’t be gentle with you…” Takumi swallowed hard and nodded, hoping that he didn’t look too astonished. She winked at Takumi before turning around to catch up to the rest of her family.

With the day’s events ricocheting in his head, Takumi definitely needed to call Oboro and Hinata.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing this chapter, it was when I started getting into Hamilton, which is where the Camilla "would gladly take a bite out of him" line came from (specifically it's from paraphrased from "Helpless").


	10. Paralogue 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi finally admits to liking Leo, Hinata is terrible at Super Smash Bros, and why does everyone keep bringing up how Hana beat Takumi up when they were kids?

The next day, Hinata was at Takumi’s house and playing _Smash_ while waiting for Oboro. Takumi was relatively sure that Hinata had come over early to practice playing with the computer before Oboro arrived and annihilated him…again. Takumi had just picked up a controller and finished his first round against Hinata when Oboro came up to his room. She smirked and took the controller out of Takumi’s hands and sat down in-between the boys.

“So while I’m kicking Hinata’s ass, what’s up with you and Leo?” asked Oboro as she selected Bayonetta. After watching Ike fall off the edge of the stage for the third time, Takumi figured it was safe to talk without hearing Hinata claim he only lost because he was distracted.

“I think Leo’s sister confirmed that he likes me,” Takumi confessed. “Also, I’m pretty sure that she might murder me and no one will be able to find my body if anything goes wrong.” Oboro paused long enough for Hinata to get a hit in and knock her character into the sky. With a growl, Oboro paused the game and turned to face Takumi.

“So then what are you waiting for?” asked Oboro. “And if you give me some weak excuse about how he probably doesn’t like you or it’s too complicated, I’m going to beat you as hard as I beat Hinata’s ass just now.” Hinata protested, but his complaints went ignored. Takumi sat silently and mulled over Oboro’s words. After the trip to Hinoka’s university, Takumi was slightly more confident that Leo might return his feelings -- but that wasn’t what was stopping him.

“I don’t want to screw this up,” Takumi whispered. “I don’t know how to make sure that I don’t screw it all up and lose everything.” Losing Leo’s friendship after all this time would be devastating. Pining away would be less painful than losing Leo completely.

“You can’t,” replied Hinata. “It’s like when you tried asking Hana out on the playground in middle school. You were really nice and polite, and she still kicked your ass. You can’t guarantee anything in this world, so why waste away worrying about what might happen?” Hinata reached over to press the button that would unpause the game on Oboro’s controller, and his face quickly met the carpet when Oboro shoved him away.

“The sentiment is appreciated, but bringing up my failed attempt to ask Hana out when we were twelve isn’t exactly reassuring,” Takumi said dryly. Actually, that had the opposite effect. Asking out Leo was probably a bad idea. His heart was going to get beaten harder by Leo than his body was by Hana.

“I’m not saying it’ll be like Hana all over again,” Hinata said as he pushed himself back up. “You asked out Hana, she beat you up. Unexpected, right? You get paired up on a project with the guy in class you passionately hate, now you have a crush on him. Life doesn’t follow a script or a plan. It just happens, whether you’re expecting the outcome or not.” Takumi and Oboro both exchanged an impressed, and slightly astonished, look. Hinata shrugged, commenting that Oboro wasn’t the only one who could give out good advice.

“So are you going to listen to your friends who only want what’s best for you and are doing their best to stop you from constantly getting in the way of your own happiness?” Oboro asked. She raised an eyebrow, her expression waiting expectantly for the right answer. Takumi smiled slightly and nodded.

“I’m going to ask Leo out,” Takumi said. “On a real date this time, not an easy out or something that one of my siblings might hijack.” Oboro and Hinata both nodded in approval, and Hinata reached over to clap Takumi on the back.

“Finally!” Hinata exclaimed. “Now, are you ready to play some _Smash_ with us?” He held up the third controller, and Takumi took it with a grin.

“Sure,” Takumi replied, “but only if you’re ready to come in third place because I’ll be taking the victory from both of you.” Link’s name boomed in the announcer’s voice, and Takumi sat back with a smile on his face. For the first time in months, the hurricane inside him had lulled. The constant anxiety that followed him around like a shadow had shifted into anticipation for something good to come. Now he just needed the perfect opportunity.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo stays with Takumi for the weekend, and domesticity fluff is everywhere.

Takumi’s opportunity came quicker than he expected. The dismissal bell had rung, and Takumi was accompanying Leo to his locker as they discussed weekend plans. Camilla had won a contest and received tickets for a spa weekend; she had won three tickets, so she was taking Azura and Elise with her. Xander was supposed to go away for the weekend on a business trip for his internship.

Key words: supposed to.

“He doesn’t want to leave me alone in the house,” said Leo, trying and failing to hide the note of guilt in his voice. The unsaid implication that Xander wouldn’t leave because Leo would be alone with their father was present in the air around them. As they walked out into the sunlight of the afternoon, Takumi steeled himself for what he was about to ask.

“What if you stay with me?” asked Takumi. Surprise written on his features, Leo turned to look at the shorter boy with hopeful confusion. “My mother adores you, and I can guarantee she’ll be okay with you staying the weekend. You won’t be home alone, so Xander won’t feel guilty about leaving for the trip.” Leo looked torn between agreeing with Takumi and protesting the idea. After a few moments of conflicted silence, the blonde nodded with a grateful smile.

“I’ll be taking your bed,” Leo said with a grin. Takumi rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder against Leo’s playfully. The light banter continued throughout the short journey to Takumi’s home.

Upon arrival, Mikoto was there to greet them with a smile. The coffee table was covered in documents, a sign that Mikoto was working from home that day. Her phone was at her side, which made Takumi hopeful that she had gotten his text explaining the situation. The slight smile and nod from the woman told Takumi that she had indeed received the message.

“Mother,” Takumi began, “would it be alright for Leo to stay here for the weekend while his family is away?” Although Takumi knew that his mother had already decided to welcome Leo into their home for the weekend, he could feel the tension emanating from Leo next to him.

“We would be delighted to have you, Leo,” Mikoto replied kindly. “Perhaps you could help me make miso soup tonight.” Takumi perked up at the mention of miso soup, and Leo gratefully thanked the family matriarch. With the issue at hand solved, Mikoto shooed the boys away to let her work in peace until she called them for cooking dinner with her.

Takumi led the way upstairs into his room. Hinoka and Ryoma were both at class, and Corrin was picking up Sakura from the middle school. The situation of being almost alone in the house with Leo was tempting, but Takumi wasn’t willing to risk it yet. Providing a shelter for Leo was more important than confessing his feelings and possibly alienating the other boy.

“Chess or shogi?” asked Takumi. Both sets were worn from constant use over the years and especially in the last few months. Leo walked over to the shelf and pulled out the chess set to set it up on the floor.

“Perhaps you might give me a challenge today,” Leo commented with a small smirk as he set the pieces into place. As per usual, Leo had opted to play black. He claimed it was to give Takumi a fair chance by giving him the first move advantage, but Takumi was relatively certain that it was actually just because Leo liked the aesthetic better.

“Maybe when you can compete on my level in shogi, we’ll talk,” Takumi fired back. He picked up one of the glossy pawns and moved it forward two spaces. The game progressed slowly, with both boys spending several minutes thinking of their next move and Takumi losing far more pieces that he expected.

“Check,” Leo said lazily. Takumi looked down at the board and glared at the tiny pieces. He picked up his queen to move her, taking down one of Leo’s rooks. The endgame progressed slowly, with Leo losing significantly more pieces than usual. Takumi scanned the board for possible moves, and a grin slowly grew on his face as he moved his queen to take Leo’s king.

“Checkmate,” Takumi said confidently. Leo stared at the board in surprise before laughing softly and offering Takumi his hand.

“Took you long enough to beat me,” said Leo, smirking. “Don’t get used to it though. You won’t be beating me again anytime soon.” Takumi grinned back at the blonde boy and leaned back against his bed.

“Since you lost, you can put the pieces away,” Takumi laughed. Leo rolled his eyes and tossed a pawn over at Takumi before putting the rest of the pieces away. Takumi tossed the pawn back and stood up to take the box away from Leo. After placing it on the shelf, Takumi led Leo downstairs and into the kitchen.

The grey haired boy began pulling out ingredients and setting them on the counter. He handed a pot over to Leo and asked him to start boiling water. Once the water was boiling, Takumi leaned around Leo to add the kombu and bonito flakes. He could have asked Leo to move, but Takumi was enjoying the feeling of being so close to Leo; his arms were nearly around Leo, and his chest was pressed to Leo’s back.

“Is this miso soup?” asked Leo curiously.

“It’s dashi,” Takumi replied, “the base for miso soup. Want to slice some scallions?” Leo nodded, and Takumi stepped back reluctantly. He handed Leo a knife for the scallions while going to get the miso paste. The domesticity of the scene made Takumi want to smile. He and Leo had been talking more about plans for college, and the desire to rent an apartment with Leo was growing steadily stronger.

Takumi had joined Leo in chopping scallions when Mikoto came in and shooed the boys away so that she could continue cooking. They took plates to set the table before sitting down next to each other and talking in low tones. They were discussing Plegian politics when the rest of Takumi’s family came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen. Hinoka pulled out a chair across from Leo and smiled widely at him. Takumi gulped; that particular smile never meant anything good.

“So are you and my brother sharing a bed tonight?” Hinoka asked bluntly. Leo’s eyes widened, and Takumi looked at his sister in horror. The redhead simply stared at Leo, almost like she was trying to burn a hole through him.

“Hinoka, I’m sleeping downstairs on the couch,” Takumi replied for Leo. The grey haired boy relaxed slightly as he saw Ryoma -- his older brother, his savior -- sit next to Hinoka.

“Are you certain that’s a wise idea, Takumi?” asked Ryoma. “Is there anywhere for a nightlight down there?” Takumi turned scarlet. So much for Ryoma saving him from Hinoka’s threatening glares. Actually, he would prefer Hinoka threatening Leo over Ryoma embarrassing him.

“I think there is an outlet near enough to the couch that you could use, big brother,” Sakura chimed in innocently. Takumi resisted the urge to sigh. Sakura wasn’t doing it on purpose like their older siblings, but she definitely wasn’t helping.

“I do not use a nightlight!” Takumi hissed. All the siblings fell silent as their mother came in with the pot of soup. Takumi reached for it first; he was going to need something to make dinner more tolerable if his siblings were going to continue this trend. Hinoka was still glaring -- and possibly thinking of throwing her fork at Leo, if her grip on the fork said anything -- and Ryoma was in the middle of telling some gods-awful story about Takumi when they were younger.

When the meal was over, Takumi grabbed Leo and pulled him upstairs as fast as humanly possible. If he had to hear one more mortifying story about his childhood, he was going to move across the country and change his name.

“Shogi?” asked Takumi wearily. He was grateful that Leo simply nodded and pulled out the board without commenting about anything that was said at the dinner table. They made it through three games before night had fallen. Takumi was gathering blankets for himself to take down to the couch when a loose grip around his wrist stopped him.

“You know,” Leo said slowly, “your bed is certainly large enough for both of us to fit comfortably. Not to mention, I’d hate for you to forget to take your nightlight downstairs.” Takumi scowled at the grin taking over Leo’s face. He threw the pillow he had under his arm at Leo’s head before shoving him over to the other side of the bed.

“I should have realized you were just taking your time and waiting for an opportunity to use those stories against me,” Takumi grumbled. He pulled the covers over himself and dropped the pillow on top of his head to hide his burning face. He picked up the pillow slightly to glare at Leo with one eye visible. “I’m going to ask Hinoka for Camilla’s number so she can tell me stories about you for revenge.” The look of sheer horror on Leo’s face cemented that idea. Takumi laughed and put the pillow under his head.

Takumi turned to the right, and his heart froze when he realized that he was actually spending the night in bed with Leo. He could just reach out a few inches, and his hand would be on Leo’s cheek. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed and far too nervous for a situation that only required sleeping, Takumi rolled over to turn off the lamp. The room was bathed in darkness, which made the situation slightly easier to bear when Takumi couldn’t see Leo’s face.

It was long after they had both murmured a good night to each other that Takumi heard Leo’s breathing even out. More relaxed now that Leo was asleep, Takumi’s eyelids closed and he allowed sleep to beckon him into its sweet embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garon wants Leo home, Leo can't go home, and Takumi wants to take Leo's mind away from it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN DUH DUH DUH DUH
> 
> But yes, it's the final chapter and then there's a short epilogue.

Takumi’s eyes fluttered open as the rays of the rising sun shone through his window. His eyes finally open and his head just starting to clear, he noticed that Leo looked a lot closer than he did last night before they went to sleep. Still groggy, he had a move to get out of bed but was stopped by the feeling of a weight around his waist. He looked down to see Leo’s arm draped across his stomach.

The feeling of Leo holding him was something Takumi didn’t want to give up immediately. It was the type of situation that Takumi had always pictured when he thought about dating someone. The feeling of caring and affection that came with cuddling was all that he had ever truly yearned for.

The sun continued to rise in the sky, and Takumi knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay in bed forever. He slowly extricated himself from Leo’s grasp without waking the other boy and then stood up to stretch. He left the room to steal a shower before any of his siblings woke up and used all the hot water. Steam rising and hot water pouring down on him, Takumi allowed his mind to drift to thoughts of Leo.

Takumi was drying his hair off with a towel when he walked back into his room. Leo was still sleeping, but he was beginning to stir at the sounds of Takumi moving in the room. The grey haired boy tossed his towel at Leo and laughed when Leo growled and clumsily threw the towel onto the floor.

“Good morning!” Takumi chirped.

“That phrase in and of itself is a contradiction,” Leo grumbled. He threw the covers off and glared at the clock, which read ten o’clock. The blonde fell back against the bed and threw his arm over his eyes to block out the sun. Takumi walked over to the bed and laid the opposite way of Leo.

“Get up, you lazy ass.” Takumi poked Leo in the ribs, causing the other boy to jump. “Get up before I tell the world about your morning-induced laziness.” Leo picked his head up to glare at the other boy and reached for a pillow to throw over Takumi’s face.

“Do that and I’ll be sure to tell the world about your nightlight,” Leo replied with a smirk. Takumi was about to protest that it wasn’t even true, but he knew he was never going to live it down regardless of its veracity.

“Just go take a shower before I eat all the tomatoes in the kitchen.” Leo looked personally offended by the statement and nearly jumped out of the bed. He took the towel Takumi had left on the doorknob for him, and Takumi went downstairs to see if there actually were any tomatoes in the house.

Takumi had just finished cooking the eggs -- scrambled, because he had failed halfway through making an omelet -- when Leo came down. The blonde picked up the tomato Takumi had left out for him, and Takumi was half-convinced that Leo was going to start eating it like an apple.

They had just barely finished eating breakfast when the comfortable silence was broken by the metallic melody coming from Leo’s phone. Takumi stole a glance at the screen and saw “father” in bright white letters. He looked up at Leo, whose expression had gone dark. Leo swiped to answer the call, and Takumi pretended to be busy with the dishes in a vain attempt to give Leo some semblance of privacy.

Although Leo didn’t have the phone on speaker, Takumi could easily hear Leo’s father shouting through the receiver. His speech sounded slurred, like he was drunk. Takumi shot a glance at the clock; it wasn’t even noon. Although Leo’s father was screaming into the phone for Leo to come home, Leo remained silent during the entirety of his father’s ranting and raving.

After what felt like an eternity, Leo set the phone down. His father had hung up, and Leo hadn’t uttered a word throughout the entire call. Takumi put the dishes he was washing down tentatively and walked over to Leo to ask if he was okay. The hard set to Leo’s jaw and the tension in his shoulders were all the answer Takumi needed.

“You’re not planning on going home, are you?” Takumi asked hesitantly. He’d be damned if he let Leo go back to his father’s house; he wasn’t going to condemn Leo to that hell, and he wasn’t going to condemn himself to the feeling of utter helplessness that always came whenever he saw Leo with fading bruises or haunted eyes.

“No,” Leo replied slowly. “If I go home now, the only thing that I will accomplish is breaking my promise to Xander that I would be somewhere safe this weekend. I know that there’s no reasoning with my father when he’s like this.” Leo managed a weak smile, but Takumi knew that it was only to keep him from worrying -- not that it would be able to stop Takumi from worrying.

Having finished the dishes, Takumi excused himself to go upstairs to see his sister. Corrin was barely awake when Takumi came to see her. Their conversation was brief -- largely because Corrin wasn’t fully awake yet -- and Takumi left with a promise to fill Corrin’s gas tank, but he had permission to take her car for the day.

Tugging a hoodie across his shoulders, Takumi grabbed Corrin’s keys and led Leo to the car. The dragon key chain -- Takumi swore it looked like a fish, but Corrin was adamant that it was a dragon -- smiled up at Takumi as he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway.

“Are you planning on telling me where we’re going anytime soon?” asked Leo dryly as they pulled onto the highway. Takumi cast a quick grin at the other boy and shook his head. This was a spontaneous decision, and he was going to keep it a surprise for as long as possible.

With the trees and flowers in bloom, the scenery passed by in a colorful blur. The highway was relatively empty due to the early afternoon hour and the lack of reason to travel without a holiday during the spring.

Leo had taken to staring out the window quietly. Although he had assured Takumi that the phone call with his father was a common occurrence and he wasn’t bothered by it, the way that he had withdrawn into himself told Takumi that he was pretending to be a lot more okay than he really was. Takumi glanced over occasionally, worry flickering in his eyes, but he said nothing and allowed Leo the space that he needed.

After an hour of driving, the scenery had changed from trees to sand dunes. Leo picked his eyebrows up in surprise before turning to Takumi almost in disbelief.

“We’re at the beach?” asked Leo. Takumi grinned shamelessly and nodded.

“Sometimes you need to take a break from reality,” Takumi said, “and a change of scenery is perfect for that.” The grey haired boy pulled off the highway and began driving down side streets he remembered from multiple vacations down the shore with his family. The beach and boardwalk were almost completely abandoned due to being off-season.

“I’ve always hated beaches,” Leo grumbled as they walked out of the car and toward the sand. “Camilla always dragged me along when she wanted to go to the beach, and every time, I got a terrible sunburn.” Takumi tried and failed at hiding a snicker. Leo was so pale that he probably looked just like one of those tomatoes he loved so much when he was sunburned.

“Relax, princess,” Takumi laughed. “There’s barely any sun out today, so your delicate skin is safe.” He was right; the sky was gray and overcast, unsurprising for early April weather. Leo scowled regardless.

“Although I can understand why you might mistake me for royalty, don’t call me a princess,” said Leo. “Your Highness will do just fine, if you’re looking to address me by a title, however.” Takumi rolled his eyes, but laughed nonetheless. He sat down on the cool sand and motioned for Leo to join him. With an exaggerated sigh, Leo sat down next to Takumi. They sat in silence and watched the waves break until Takumi turned to look at Leo and brushed his fingers against a fading bruise as if to ask why.

“He used to be a better father,” Leo whispered, “a better man. It’s been so long, but I still remember the man he used to be.” Leo’s dark eyes were clouded over with melancholy. “He used to give us rides on his back whenever we wanted. He’d come home from work and walk through the door with a smile on his face.” Takumi had only caught glimpses of Leo’s father, and it was hard for him to picture that same man being a doting father.

“Hope is a treacherous thing.” Takumi swallowed hard at the bitterness in Leo’s words. He didn’t need Leo to explain. Hope was what kept Leo and his siblings home. Hope was what made them believe that their father would return to the man he was.

Death wasn’t the only way to lose a father, and Takumi couldn’t help but wonder which was worse: to have a loving father who was taken suddenly from you or to have a loving father whose love slowly faded away? They deserved better than what life had given them.

“The world is cold and cruel,” Takumi said, “but no matter how cruel life has been to us, we’ve kept going. We persevere.” Leo turned to Takumi and gave him the faintest hint of a smile and a nod.

The beach was empty except for the two of them, and without their voices carrying conversation, the only sound that could be heard was the distant crashing of the breaking waves. The tide was low, and the water was likely freezing. The breeze coming from the water was biting, and Leo was shivering.

Takumi slid the sweatshirt off his shoulders and offered it to Leo with an outstretched hand. As the blonde began to protest -- Takumi had to laugh internally that, for once, Leo was showing off good manners -- Takumi draped the sweatshirt across Leo’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” Leo murmured. He pulled the edges of the sweatshirt tighter around him before resting his head on Takumi’s shoulder. Takumi tried not to tense -- tried not to overthink it -- and wrapped his arm around Leo’s shoulders. Leo shifted closer and leaned his weight against Takumi.

They watched the sun drifted lower in the horizon, turning the sky from cotton candy to amber to vermilion as night grew closer. The waves continued to crash on the shore line, steady as their beating hearts. Takumi rested his head on top of Leo’s and closed his eyes to shut out everything except the feeling of Leo pressed against his side.

Night had nearly fallen when they decided to leave the beach. Going on instinct, Takumi led Leo to the park where he and his siblings played as children every summer. Not much had changed; the jungle gym and swings were the same ones that Takumi remembered. The swings swayed slightly in the breeze, which gave the impression that a rider had just departed. The jungle gym was made up of two towers and a bridge that connected them.

Leo climbed up onto the metal frame and stood at the top of the lowest slide. It was uncovered with a bar to hold onto from above. The blonde leaned his arms on the bar and gave Takumi a beckoning look. Takumi stepped up onto the foot of the slide and was standing on the other side of the bar from Leo within three steps.

“Hey,” Takumi whispered as he grasped onto the cold metal of the support bar. Leo reached out and pulled at the band in Takumi’s hair to let it down. The breeze flowed through the grey strands, and Takumi swore that Leo was blushing.

Takumi’s hands were on either side of Leo’s as he looked up to catch the other boy’s gaze. Takumi wasn’t sure which of them leaned in first -- later, they would both argue and try to take credit for it -- but his eyes closed of their own accord as he leaned forward to press his lips against Leo’s.

Leo’s lips were soft. Takumi knew he shouldn’t be surprised about that, yet he marveled at how smooth the kiss was. He moved one hand away from the bar that separated them to tangle it in Leo’s hair; he felt his hand knock the headband out of Leo’s hair, but he couldn’t be bothered with that -- not when he was _finally_ kissing Leo. Takumi’s heart was hammering in his chest and his face was flushed as they broke apart for air.

Both boys looked at each other, as if waiting for the other to start the conversation. Takumi allowed his hand to travel away from Leo’s hair and rest on the back of his neck.

“What does this mean?” asked Leo, being the first to break the silence. Takumi ducked under the metal bar to stand next to the blonde. Their positions mirrored each other: arms rested on the bar, leaning forward slightly, and heads turned to look at each other.

“I know we got off to a rough start,” Takumi began, “but I want nothing more than to give us a try. You make me happy, and I want to make you happy too.” Was it love that he was feeling? Takumi wasn’t sure, but he knew with absolute certainty that he didn’t want to give up the warmth that he felt in his chest every time he was around Leo.

“I have waited so long for this,” Leo replied. His smile was soft and genuine, unlike his usual sly smirk. “I’ve hidden my feelings for so long…I can’t believe you felt the same way all this time.” Takumi almost laughed at the irony that they were both hiding their feelings the entire time; instead, he just reached out and took one of Leo’s hands to lace their fingers together.

After all that time being rivals -- well, mostly just Takumi considering Leo to be his rival -- and then pining after each other, the stars had finally aligned to bring them together. Takumi felt as though his universe had finally achieved syzygy, and now he could finally relax without the weight of anxiety on his shoulders.

“Who would have guessed that fate would bring the two of us together like this?” With that, Leo leaned in to press their lips together for a second kiss. Takumi’s eyelids fluttered shut, and his last coherent thought before losing himself in the kiss was that he was, without a doubt, in love with Leo.


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for an epilogue. Where are they now? (Okay, it's only been like two months but still)

The rays of the summer sun were warm on Takumi’s back. Finals week had ended, AP exams were off to be scored, and school had let out for the summer. Takumi had taken a summer job at the archery range teaching children how to shoot. The job paid well, and Takumi had to admit that he liked the kids. Another reason, however, that he liked the job is because it was only a few blocks away from a certain apartment complex Takumi had been frequenting.

Takumi shifted his weight from one foot to another as he waited for someone to come to the door. He had heard the doorbell echoing inside the apartment and then footsteps approaching. The white door swung upon to reveal a grinning Leo. The blonde pulled him inside and shut the door behind them.

Xander’s graduation from college had shifted the dynamic immensely. With a degree and a new job, Xander was able to move out with his siblings to a townhouse-style apartment complex away from their father. Leo lived with Xander on the lower floor while Camilla, Azura, and Elise lived on the top floor per Elise’s request. Azura wouldn’t be there much longer though; she was heading off to college in the fall, with a scholarship that covered her room and board. She and Corrin had already made plans to live together.

“Chess or shogi?” asked Takumi. They had needed to get an extra set for both games because moving the boards back and forth was going to eventually cause them to lose pieces. The addition of the two game sets to the apartment had solidified that Leo was truly free from his father. Takumi knew better than to pry, but he could tell even without asking that Leo was elated to be able to invite his boyfriend over without worrying about what his father would do.

“Xander’s at work, and he won’t be home for a few hours…” Leo smirked, the implications in his tone not lost on Takumi, and grasped his boyfriend’s hand to lead him into his room. Takumi grinned back and followed Leo into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them.


End file.
